• I can’t be the only person who uses these forums who finds themselves asking questions that never receive answers (as evidence by support topics found randomly via Google started (x) years ago with (0) responses).

    I understand that not everyone will have an answer, and that there are people out there who may have answers who either don’t want to fill us in on them or don’t use these forums, but sometimes it feels like I’m asking the impossible questions that have absolutely no answers.

    When Google and trusted sources fail to help, I come here. When that fails, and I am unable to figure it out on my own, what do I do?

    What do you do?

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    You wait. Or you hire someone.

    3.1 came out a couple days ago and the forums are overrun. The people who help here are mostly volunteers, and we all have real lives and real jobs that are not the forums. So while we are trying to keep up, we’re gonna be behind. Sorry that the free help is running slow, but we’re not miracle workers ??

    So basic rules of thumb apply: Be descriptive in your titles, explain your issues clearly, tell us what you did already to debug and test. DO NOT bump (if you bump, we see someone’s replied and assume you DON’T need help!). And be patient.

    Thread Starter f15d9f87d

    (@boyevul)

    Let me re-iterate:
    “(as evidence by support topics found randomly via Google started (x) years ago with (0) responses).”

    No, I get it – free help entitles people to sense of self-importance and utter disgust at an honest question.

    Are you serious? You actually found the honesty, clarity, and spirit of that reply unsettling enough to your sensibilities to prompt you to be insulting?

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    Not every topic can get answered. There are more people asking than giving (which is why I encourage everyone to HELP and answer some questions if they can).

    free help entitles people to sense of self-importance and utter disgust at an honest question.

    And apparently disgust at an honest reply.

    Sorry we’re not perfect. Either be patient and wait for someone to get to your question, or hire someone. That is, literally, what I do, if I cannot solve a problem myself.

    Thread Starter f15d9f87d

    (@boyevul)

    I would have taken it less unsettling had the focus not been on explicitly pointing out repeatedly how the help is free and that people have lives, ie: the obvious.

    I was actually asking for those who have asked questions (years ago) and never received an answer. Simply defaulting to a response of “oh a new version of WordPress came out and everyone is scrambling. Oh yeah, and we all have lives and don’t live on the Internet.” doesn’t really give me an answer so much as it points out the painfully obvious.

    Why wouldn’t I answer the questions to the threads that I’m speaking of? Because they were closed topics.

    “Topic: How do I (question) Started: 5 years ago. No replies.”

    I’m a bit abrasive, I know. It’s just painful to see question after question get asked (not just by me) and go unanswered for so long that it eventually just closes and goes forgotten (until someone, like myself, goes looking for an answer on Google and stumbles across yet another answerless question.)

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    It’s just painful to see question after question get asked (not just by me) and go unanswered for so long that it eventually just closes and goes forgotten (until someone, like myself, goes looking for an answer on Google and stumbles across yet another answerless question.)

    You think anyone likes it? Honestly, I don’t mind the abrasive (we all are, god knows I am!) but it gets on everyones nerves when people whinge that we don’t help everyone.

    Yes, we know. We would love to. We can’t. There arent enough hours in the day, and as the snark we get from folks will attest, not everyone is grateful to the volunteers here. Which is why you get a default answer today. Yeah, I did dismiss your post as yet another “why meeee?” which I shouldn’t, but we have a lot of em right now, thanks to 3.1 ?? so for that, I apologize. But I think reminding you that we’re free help for you, and we are volunteers, and asking for a little understanding from YOU is not hugely out of line.

    We try. We are not perfect. We cannot humanly help everyone. Maybe if more people helped out, we could, but right now we do our best and welcome anyone who wants to jump in and help! ??

    (You might be shocked to find out how many people aren’t aware about the volunteer thing, by the way. I thought it was obvious, as I are one, but y’know, I’ve gotten email telling me that my WordPress employers should be disgusted with me helping here instead of fixing WordPress. So it takes all kinds I guess! ?? )

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • The topic ‘Asking too much?’ is closed to new replies.